ILSR's Waste to Wealth Program - Community Development through Reuse and Recycling

Waste reduction -- the combination of waste prevention and recycling -- has numerous benefits. It diverts materials from landfills, boosts recycling and composting rates, and often results in savings for participating communities and organizations. During the past decade, the national recycling rate has climbed to 28 percent, and numerous communities, businesses, government offices, and institutions are reducing their municipal solid waste (MSW) stream by more than 50 percent. In fact, some are reducing their MSW by as much as 85 or 90 percent. What makes these programs so successful? At what cost? What role do waste prevention, reuse, and composting play? And what can other communities, governments, and organizations -- and the nation as a whole -- learn from these record-setters?

To answer these questions, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR), through a grant from EPA, created the Waste Reduction Record-Setters project. The goal of the project is to identify successful waste reduction programs in communities, businesses, and other organizations and to encourage their replication.

From 1996 to 1998, the project identified 100 communities and nearly 200 businesses, institutions, and other organizations reporting waste reduction rates at 50 percent or higher.

Some of these are featured in our Waste Reduction Record-Setters Profiles, which features more than 50 examples of cutting-edge recycling programs from around the world.

To document these success stories, EPA has published a report and series of fact sheet packets featuring ILSR’s research on record-setting community programs.

The publications listed below are available free through the RCRA hotline 1-800-424-9346 (within U.S.),1-703-412-9810 (outside U.S. and Washington, DC metro area). Most are also available or will soon be available as PDF files.

Building Savings: Strategies for Waste Reduction of Debris from Buildings
by Kelly Lease, Mark Jackson, and Brenda Platt
2000, fact sheet packet (20 pages)
EPA-530-F-00-001 - Download PDF file
This fact sheet packet profiles seven building projects—from new construction to renovation and deconstruction—that are recovering 42 to 82% of materials otherwise destined for disposal. Policymakers wanting to encourage building material recovery, building owners and developers interested in green building design, and contractors seeking a competitive edge will find this document useful.

Complex Recycling Issues: Strategies for Record-Setting Waste Reduction in Multi-Family Dwellings
by Kelly Lease, Brenda Platt, and Joanne Goodwin
1999, fact sheet packet (26 pages) - Download PDF file
EPA-530-F-99-022
Multi-family buildings are often overlooked when communities offer their residents recycling services. This fact sheet packet features four model apartment buildings and complexes, from garden apartments to high-rises, that are recycling between 20 and 65% of their discarded materials. Also profiled are five communities that provide recycling service to their multi-family dwelling sector.

Cutting the Waste Stream in Half: Community Record-Setters Show How
by Brenda Platt and Kelly Lease
1999
171-page report, EPA-530-R-99-013 - Download PDF file
fact sheet packet , EPA-530-F-99-017 - Download PDF file
This report and fact sheet packet of the same title feature 18 cities and counties recovering 40 to 65% of their residential waste. They profile each community’s program, drivers for waste reduction levels, materials accepted, set-out and collection methods, and equipment and operating costs. The fact sheet packet summarizes and complements the full report. Essential reading on cost-effective recycling. See October 1999 press release.

Don’t Throw Away That Food: Strategies for Record-Setting Waste Reduction
by Brenda Platt and Joanne Goodwin
1998, fact sheet packet (24 pages)
EPA-530-F-98-023 - View Online
A growing number of food-related businesses are diverting their food discards to useful purposes in place of the dump. This fact sheet packet documents nine programs with record-setting food recovery levels, from a hospital and prison to an urban produce market and supermarkets. The packet includes tips for solid waste planners and resources for more information. See January 1999 press release.

Waste Reduction Record Setters Program Profiles
View Online
More than 50 examples of cutting-edge recycling programs from around the country